July only knows 18 things about her mother, one of which is that she died in a car accident when July was a baby.

On her 10th birthday, July's teacher tells the class what their summer project will be: a research project on a member of their family. All she has ever wanted is to find out more about her mother but no one will speak of her.
Her project takes her on a journey of piecing together clues as to who her mother was and why there are so many secrets surrounding her death.

This book was truly fantastic. It is a rollercoaster of emotions which left me unable to put it down until I knew how it ended. Emily Koch did a wonderful job at keeping me guessing which I loved as I was never quite sure if I had worked out the ending. Usually, I am good at guessing an ending and being sure of myself, but not today so this was an instant 5 stars.

I won’t recount the blurb for this book. July is 10 years old & what she knows about her Mother is jotted in a short list in her notebook. July’s grandmother Yaya doesn’t like to talk about July’s Mum, she has a weak heart and she gets very upset. July’s Dad doesn’t like to talk about July’s Mum. He gets very angry with July and she hates to disappoint her Dad. She knows she is a disappointment to him and she knows he’ll have to teach her one of his ‘lessons’. This is a sad story about a little girl who is lost, adrift and yet so content to keep living her life according to the rules everyone has set for her. Until one summer her teacher sets her a project - to find out all about a member of her family. Can July add any new facts to the list of things she knows about her Mum? July sets out to find some answers to her questions and blows everything apart in the process. This book is so sad, so heart wrenching. July is a wonderful character - full of life and love. I loved this book and I highly recommend it. 5 Stars.

What a lovely book, told from the perspective of a little girl who wants to find out more about her dead mother. But why does no one want to talk about her? The first bits of the book are very slow, and I wasn't convinced by there was such a big secret around what happened to her mother. I won't give any spoilers; suffice it to say, there's a reason this book is set in the 1990s!

The best thing was the relationship between July and her stepsister (whose name I forget); the way they compete, and fight, and make up, and cover for each other. And that moment when they discover that sisterhood is, in fact, thicker than blood.

(Review copy from NetGalley)

What July Knew is the story of a ten year old girl trying to discover more about her mother who died when she was just two years old.
What July Knew is the story of growing up in a blended family, with a sister the same age as you, who doesn't like you and a step-mother who has a cold look on her face
What July Knew is the story set in 1995, a life before mobile phones, a life where a bike was the means of freedom, a life before google which makes discovering things so much harder, especially when you are ten.
What July Knew is the story of domestic violence and grief... and of bravery against all odds!

Emily Koch weaves a sadly only too believable story around secrets within a family home, where the truth lies hidden beneath the unspoken and the outright lies.

It took a little while for me to become absorbed by this story, but once I did, I was invested in July's story as well as those of Sylvie and Shell

Summer, 1995. July Hooper knowns eighteen things about her mother. Like number 13: she loved dancing on the kitchen table. And number 8: she was covered in freckles. and then there was number 2: she died being hit by a car when July was just small. She keeps a list hidden in a drawer away from her father. Because they are not allowed to talk about her mother. Ever. But an anonymous note slipped into July's bag on her tenth birthday is about to change everything she thinks she knows about her mum.

July is always asking questions which are not welcomed by her family. Her dad Mick has a vicious streak. July is determined to find out anything she can about the mother she can barely remember. She now has a new stepmother and stepsister. July has been set a summer project. she's to find out about a family member, so she uses this to find out all she can about her mother. This is a well written and moving account of a ten-year-old child's quest to get more information about her mother. The story is told from July's point of view. There's a fine mix of humor, sadness and childhood naivety. I loved this book.

I would like to thank #NetGalley #RandomHouseUK #Vintage and the author #EmilyKoch for my ARC of #WhatJulyKnew in exchange for an honest review.














Summer

First off, a massive thanks to Vintage Books for my gorgeous physical copy, and for approving me on Netgalley for the e-arc.

I buddy read this with my pals Lucy and Bex, and once I started I felt I couldn’t stop. It was so good.

July is this beautiful sweet 10 year old, who lives with her father, her stepmother, and step sister. She doesn't get on so great with either of them, but she tries so hard. My heart broke for July so many times throughout the story, but the last page absolutely threw me into tears. There is so much pain in the book, but July pushes through it in order to find out more things about her mum. I loved the list, I loved that she finds things to add to it, and I would have loved to do a school report about a family member. There was just so much to unravel, and it all unravels in a magnificent fashion!

As my pals have said, this story throws you back to your childhood (well if you were a 90s kid like me), with mentions of so many things I loved from back then. Its nostalgic, beautiful, and heartbreaking. I hope everyone loves it as much as I did.

What a book! Thoughtful, dark, compelling, and dealing with such an important issue of domestic abuse. My first five star read of 2023.

Told mostly through 10-year-old July’s experience during one scorching hot British summer, as she tries to piece together what really happened to her mum when she was younger.

We also read letters from ‘Mum’ and ‘Dad’ as we follow July’s naive search for the truth (loved the reminder that in the 90s could you be left to ride round on your bike and come back before it gets dark!).

This was a bittersweet read and one that will stay with me for a while. Thank you to Netgalley and the publisher for the ARC in return for an honest review.

Not the usual kind of book I’d choose to read but I loved it! It took me a minute to get into the story but once I was in, I couldn’t stop reading. It was very dark and unsettling at times and definitely contains a range of sensitive topics but I enjoyed the twists of the story and going on a journey with July. I would recommend this book to anyone.

July Hooper knows eighteen things about her mother.
Like number thirteen: she loved dancing on the kitchen table. And number eight: she was covered in freckles.
And then there's number two: she died after being hit by a car when July was small.
She keeps this list hidden in a drawer away from her father. Because they're not allowed to talk about her mother. Ever.

A gorgeous heartfelt book with a great storyline and so well written. It’s very unusual being written from the perspective of a 10 year old but it really works so well. I totally fell I love with July and really wanted her to find her happy ending. Beautiful nostalgia from the 90’s also adds to the charm of the read. The underlying domestic violence theme is handled very well and I can imagine really shows the conflicting emotions within such a troubled family.

Thanks for NetGalley and the publisher Random House Uk Vintage for a chance to read this book in exchange for an honest review. I really appreciate the opportunity to review the ARCs.
#RandomHouseUkVintage #NetGalley #WhatJulyKnew

What a beautiful book this is. The story of July, and her search for the truth about her mother is one of family, abuse, friendship, secrets and ultimately love. In July, Emily has created the most wonderful, relatable character who will stay with me for a long time.

I've enjoyed Emily Koch's previous books, but this one didn't quite win me over. I did like the gradual unravelling of the secrets of July's past, her reactions to it and the relationship between the family members and i felt the domestic abuse was sensitively handled. However, I also felt it was a bit overlong and almost unnecessarily complicated at the end
Thank you to netgalley and Random House for an advance copy of this book

Gripping child's-eye-view of a family mystery and abuse.

That makes the book sound very dark and grim. It isn't. It is upsetting at times, disturbing, but it's also full of the hope and love of July, our 10 year old protagonist.

July lives with her father, stepmother and stepsister. She's not allowed to talk about her mother or ask questions about her. Bad things happen when she does. On her 10th birthday, the class is assigned a project: to research a little-known family member. July is desperate to know more about the mother who died in a car crash when she was small.

This is where the plot really begins, as July starts to ask questions quietly. And learn more. And find out that what's she been told may not all be true.

This totally captivated me. I just loved how information was revealed, how a child researched and delved, how those around her responded and just what a child might pick up. July is of course wise beyond her years in some ways. She's also heartbreakingly just a child wanting her father's love ad approval.

Here is where the story really does prove itself a winner - the characters around July are beautifully written. Her step-sister, the same age as July, with her own jealousies and insecurities. Her step-mother seemingly quite cold actually reveals herself to be anything but. And July's father, a portrait in hot-and-cold anger, control and unpredictability.

We have small snippets inside the heads of others around July - a teacher, neighbour, that give us insight outside of July's own knowledge, and all make you want to protect and help this small, brave girl.

It's a well-constructed and played-out mystery, with some very tense moments, a few fairly graphic scenes of violence and excellent relationship drama arcs between characters.

With thanks to Netgalley for providing an advance reading copy.

I absolutely loved this book.This book is not like anything else I have read before, and these days that's getting rarer for me.

Set in the summer of 1995 we follow July, whose turning 10 years old. She knows 18 things about her dead mother and she is desperate to know more. She has a step sister and step mother who have an on off relationship with her emotions and a Father who doesn't want to talk about his dead wife. She craves affection from her Father, but it's given out in very small doses.

Covering domestic violence this book deals with the issues in such a way that it isn't a terrifying read, but the danger is obviously present. July becomes a bit of a detective which is enabled when she receives a bike for her tenth birthday. Now she can go further afield to find out more about her earlier life and her Mother. Unfortunately that knowledge brings her into more danger.

I raced through this book, especially when it was getting nearer to finding out what had happened in the past. There was a bit of a twist which I didn't immediately understand. At first I found this additional information irritating, but as more was revealed it all became clear.

A brilliant read with down to earth everyday characters. July's voice is amazing and so well written, you can't help but fall in love with her. The story is evenly paced throughout the book and flows with beautifully descriptive writing.

July’s mother died in a car accident when she was two so she lives with her father, stepmother and stepsister. But one day at school, she finds a note in her book saying that her mother didn’t die in a car accident. This piques her curiosity but the topic of her mother is a no-go zone in her family. In fact her father is often teaching her a “Lesson”.

A easy read despite the subject matter which portrays family violence. As for the mystery of how her mother died, it’s rather predictable even with the twist. Competently handled overall but a bit too light a touch for my tastes.

I absolutely LOVED this book. The whole July character and the way she's written is wonderfully innocent and just perfect. The storyline kept my attention from the very first page, and it only took me a small handful of days to finish -unputdownable. Will definitely be recommending - love love love!

"What July Knew" is an amazing book written from the point of view of a 10 year old girl. July is fearless in her search for information about her mother. She thinks that she died in a car accident when July was only 2 years old. July lives with her father, step-mother and step-sister,, but all is not well in the Hooper household.

This is a book which covers so many issues, including abuse in many forms. July struggles to ask the right questions and to know when people are actually telling her the truth. This is a really good book which delves into the workings of the minds of children.

Thanks to Net Galley and the publishers for the opportunity to review this book.

Summer, 1995.

July Hooper knows just eighteen things about her mother. They are just little things that she has found out because her father will never talk about her. July remembers her mother being killed by a car. The little titbits that Grandad Tony gives her July keeps on a list. July keeps the list hidden away from her father. 

But an anonymous note is slipped into July's bag because her teacher sets a task in the summer holidays to write about someone in the family that they know nothing about. This note is about to change everything she thinks she knows about her.

July begins to investigate but faces the wrath of her father but cycling around the neighbourhood where her family used to live she meets someone who might finally give her the answers.

July just wants to know the truth but will the truth be what she wants to hear.

I really enjoyed this book. I loved the characters, the storyline and finding out about Julys mom and what really happened. Hated the father and really wanted him to get his comeuppance. The ending was just the perfect way to finish the story. I look forward to reading more by this author.

10 year old July lives with her Dad, his partner and her daughter. July longs to know everything about her Mum who died when July was two, but no-one will answer her questions. As the story unfolds and truths begin to come to light we are witness to her sad and dysfunctional family life. Emily Koch's plot deals exceptionally well with a range of highly emotive and topical subjects - domestic abuse, neglect, parenting choices, secrets and lies. Although this may sound as if the book is depressing and bleak it has been handled so well with a cast of well written characters that to be honest I found it quite uplifting and one I highly recommend you to read. Thank you to Netgalley, publisher and author for an arc of 'What July Knew'.

What a beautifully written book What July Knew is. It is, in turns, Desperately sad and hopeful.

I loved July. She is a girl who is mature for her age because of circumstance but still a child who needs love and validation she doesn't receive. It's understandable she's always searching for answers about her mother.

The 1990s setting is perfect too. It feels right for the plot to be steeped in nostalgia alongside a girl looking to the past to understand her present.

The book reminded me of how much I loved Joanna Cannon's The Trouble With Goats and Sheep. Both use young protagonists in retro settings, dealing with secretive and destructive adults. Of course, both books are very different and great in their own right.

I think a lot of people will love July after reading this book. A brilliant read.

This is such an emotional psychological drama that once I started reading it I couldn't put it down.
Set in an extremely hot summer of 1995 July is ten years old and she is seeking answers to her mothers death but no one is willing to answer her questions.
Her mother having pasted away when she was small always gave July a sense that something wasn't quite right.
July is determined to find out the truth about her mum, especially when she over heard that she might not be dead after all.
This is a beautifully written novel that love, family and heartbreak.